6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
Not touching but as close as you can get them withOUT touching.
Feeding - lots of discussions here about this you can read through. For the most part seedlings don't need feeding. Definitely don't need it until after their second set of true leaves develop.
That varies depending on what you are growing them in mix-wise, container size, how long before they can be transplanted to their final growing place, etc. Most transplant their seedlings at the first true leaf stage out of the seeding starting mix into a growing mix and most of them contain some fertilizer already.
But if you plan to feed them then any liquid of your choice - hundreds available - diluted to 1/4 to 1/2 strength max. weekly is the common recommendation.
Dave
Congratulations and kudos!! I do believe you may be the first person to successfully harvest/sow/grow D. spectabilis from seed. I checked my D. spectabilis 'Alba' for seedpods last year but was unsuccessful when looking for any that were ripe. Did you harvest the seedpods right when they fell from the plant stems or while they were still attached & green? Do please describe your strategy so that others may attempt to learn from your success.
I'm pretty sure some people on Winter Sowing have done this. Also I think several people have said they get self sowers. Anyhow, I just watched the pods very carefully and put small paper bags on them when they looked as if they would soon split open. I caught the seeds and just sowed them shallowly in some commercial seed compost in a pot which I then left outside in my garden for the rest of the year. No fancy techniques.
There are all kinds of sizes of plastic cups available. They range from small 3 oz to 6 oz to 9 oz to 12 oz to the big 16 oz size. That's why I mentioned "small" plastic cups. I sure hope those in your picture aren't the 16 oz big ones for those tiny little plants? If you have to use the big cups for some reason you only fill them 1/2 full and then add more as the plant grows. You put holes in the bottom, right?
I had thought about using the mix that I used for my sfg (1/3 verm, 1/3 peat, 1/3 compost) but maybe I can find something at lowes or wally world that would work already mixed up and is soil-less.
Seed starting is most successful with a sterile soil-less mix and both Lowes and Walmart sell several different brands of it. Plain old cheap Jiffy Seed Starting Mix at $4 a bag works fine.
On the videos I had watched some of his videos a while ago the dense planting looked like something I might try next year :)
His how to transplant video is the one I was referring to so be sure to watch it when you get a chance.
Good luck with your plants. You'll know within 24 hours if they are going to make it or not.
Dave
Well they still seem alive :) and actually i used the 18oz cups lol and filled them up to the top before I saw your reply. But i did drill the holes at the bottom. So I guess we will see what happens lol I ended up getting a seed starting mix from wally and it was very light weight stuff so the roots should have no problems growing in it. Thanks for all the help. Next year I will be doing a lot different ;) its a learning process for me hehe
Should I remove the ground up leaves and sow the seeds directly on the soil
Yes, just rake it back. Otherwise germination will be quite limited. Once they sprout you can gently rake it back in place to use as a mulch to help retain soil moisture.
Dave
So maybe I was panicking over nothing; I was afraid they were ruined. I will definitely remove the lids now, and give them some air, and poke the holes, too. Why do the directions say cover with lid till they emerge if that causes mold? It seems more logical that they need the air circulation.
Thanks John!
If you know that you can keep the soil from drying out without using the domes, I think you're actually better off not using them. This would be possible for folks who are home all the time and who are not trying to germinate a lot of seeds at once. On the other hand, lots of trays would be hard to watch that close and impossible for working folks who are gone all day.
Wonderful news Al! Thanks for the positive feedback on paper pots. Many people seem to be posting that they are more difficult and result in yellowing but I don't actually think it is the pot that is the problem, sounds like overwatering to me.
So I am going to try the bottom watering method from here on. My tomatoes all sprouted today (day 5 of germination seemed quick to me) so I am very excited and hoping that this next stage goes as well as the germination stage seemed to for my little seedlings.
I have great success with paper pots and use the crowded in container, bottom watering system ...
Here is a link that might be useful: Starting Seeds Indoors
Take the dome off after you get sprouts. Remember, moist, not wet ... use a small fan on low to help harden your plants ...
Here is a link that might be useful: Starting Seeds Indoors
Peat "pots" - are not nearly the problem of peat "pellets". With peat pots, you are filling them with a mix of some sort, if you are using a decent soil-less mix, you shouldnt have a problem. People often use the wrong word when referring to the little expanding Jiffy pellets that all of the big box stores sell now - they are the problem.
I only have one heater in my cold frame and it is a 150 watt element with no fan. The reason I installed a small fan in the cold frame was to distribute the heat and get even temps throughout the cold frame. I st?arted the lettuce and spinach in the house and kept the temps 70f. Therefore, since they were only two weeks old or so, I figured I needed to keep them around 60-70f. What do you think
You say you are GOING to buy a fluorescent light? I'm assuming you didn't have one before. That and that alone will give you leggy spindly weak seedlings.
Between the heat mat and the lights you will see a world of difference. Good luck and happy growing!
IMO, you probably don't need additional heat to your coldframes at this time of year unless it gets very cold and cloudy for a few days. Lettuce can handle temps down to about 23 F and spinach even lower. Young seedlings though you probably want to keep above 32F.
Oh. BTW, Miracle Gro expand'nGRO reads as if it were a competitor of Wonder Soil - Home Wonder Soil which, unfortunately, as best I can tell does not have any free sample offers yet.
Thanks everyone! That is good news (no stratifying).
Thanks for the picture gardenweed. They look cute! I'll try planting some tomorrow.
Morz8 - thanks for the link to Clothiers. Is there another database that is reliable besides Clothiers? I'm a little bit unsure from your post if you are saying that Clothiers is reliable or if there was an additional link or name that you also meant to post. The Clothiers link may save me from a lot of posting---I got a bunch of different seeds in an exchange that I'm not sure what I need to do with.
Thank you!
I'm not sure any are quite as complete as Clothiers, and the articles below the database categories are helpful too.
http://theseedsite.co.uk/ (the format changed a couple of years ago and I can't navigate this site as quickly now :) but information is sound)
For propagation of all types included growing from seed, well illustrated, well written - you might look for a copy of Making More Plants by Ken Druse. His suggestions are often for freshly harvested seeds as opposed to purchased dried seeds like you might buy commercially (and will sometimes have developed a deeper dormancy in the drying).
Between Making More Plants, and the Clothiers site there is rarely a seed I can't germinate. Occasionally I will have to go to propagation notes from Explorers Garden by Hinkley - the books by Druse and Hinkley are out and on my desk at all times though so you can always ask if struggling to find particular plant/seed :)
Here is a link that might be useful: Out of print T&M database, also reliable
Hi Higgsr1,
I read your post about your impatients. I've found them to be super easy to grow even in WI. It sounds like you're doing everything right. Perhaps the seeds are old, or they have somehow been frozen. It's hard to know. I'd suggest re-planting the seeds. Yea it's allot of work but it's worth it. Just put the seeds in the existing pots. Yea, you'll never know which onesare beginning to grow, the old or new. Better that then not haveing any impatients. Let me know how it turns out
I don't understand why so many gardeners make growing tomatoes from seed so complicated. Any regular growing or potting mix works fine for starting tomato seeds. I always use a bark based mix for everything. I have at least a hundred plastic sixpack containers I have saved over the years and use them over and over. It only takes three weeks at 70 to 75 degrees to grow enough with good light, to transplant into four inch plastic pots, and off the heat. From there to the garden a month later, well rooted. Al